The Seven Smiths: Catchup Yet Again Spring!

I have turned into the worst blogger ever but this will all go in the family scrapbook so it must be done. So here goes with a whirlwind rehashing of 2015 thus far.

Here is Chad on his way back to NMMI after Christmas break. I was in a blue funk for a week. Incidentally this is Chad's Ranger, "Buck". Buck is a true friend and Chad's constant sidekick. Aaron also has a car but true to Aaron form, we were not able to get a picture. Maybe after we fix the bumper that quickly got destroyed, we'll try to document it. :)

New Beginnings - look at these cute girls who became or will shortly become La Cueva Ward's newest Beehives. Apparently it's tradition for the Laurels to dress them up in January. Do you recognize the darling Miss Individual Worth?

And Hummingbird. Miranda was excited to finally be able to go.

Bethany and her friend Alia chilling between practices. Alia is actually in orchestra but they went together this year. Yahoo!

This Hummingbird was one of the snowiest in recent history but it made for some great snowball fights.

Good times! You'd wonder if they actually got any practicing done.

So beautiful.

Bethany and Alia preferred playing cards in the warm lodge.

Aha! Some work did get done. Here are the tuba girls, Bethany and Morgan.

Here is a picture of Miranda's Upward basketball team. She was excited to have Kirra and Daphne plus their dads on her team. Miranda also played on a YMCA team and this year she'd like to up the competitiveness and play on an AYBL team. We'll see how it goes.

And in Kirra and Daphne's spare time (ha!) they were in a rendition of "The King and I". We were so excited to see their performance.

Of course spring is baseball season and we can't miss it just because Chad is in Roswell. Here is one of our weekend trips on which I talked Bethany into accompanying me.

The girls heading to their first joint band concert. They rocked it and looked smashing besides.

A rarely seen photo of the elusive Aaron Smith with his adoring grandmother and cousin Aurora.

My silly Beehives. I love them and will miss them desperately now that I am in primary.

Some Saturdays we're just bored and have to ink up.

Amber calls this "Rubadubdub, two awesomes in a tub". She and Chance loved the Hawaiian theme of Miranda's birthday party.

Here she is blowing out her candles with her peeps.

And the table in all its glory.

Another weekend in Roswell, this time with Grandma, Amber, Rebecca, Chance & Rorey. We had a grand time. Here we all are with Cadet Smith after church.

Grandma loves Chad. We are so glad he is a Lobo now and can see us every Sunday (or more if we're lucky). More on that later.

I used to think I was so tall. Huh!

Rorey is finally getting used to Chad and will usually let him hold her now. In this picture, she was not so sure.

Chad learned a new side-arm pitch which is quite effective. This picture might give you an idea of how it looks. The UNM pitching coach saw him in action this summer when he was playing on a team with his very first little league coach (Yeah Coach Cunningham!), told him they were looking for a side arm pitcher and asked if he would be interested. It took him less than a day to accept the offer. He will miss his NMMI baseball coaches and teammates but he decided that military school is just not for him. So now he is at the dorms at UNM. I'm sure I'll take some pictures and post later if it doesn't already look like a hurricane hit it.

Chad went to play the NMJC Thunderbirds at Hobbs in May and he and Howie got to see their friend Jeff from La Cueva days. Here they are united again.

Miranda playing the "magic sax" that she is borrowing from Justin while he is at Harvard. Her jazz band played at the sixth grade honors assembly.

Miranda with her 4.0 certificate. This girl worked her butt off 6th grade year.

And another girl who worked her butt off. Here is Bethany and Grandma at 8th grade graduation. She got out of Ms. Giesler's impossible Honors Algebra class with a well deserved "A". You go girl!